Good Morning Everyone!
This blog is going to be short and sweet, my dad is coming over this morning to surprise the children before they go off to school so, I only have a few minutes. By the way, have you ever noticed that you can type super fast when you are not in a hurry with very few mistakes but, add that 'hurry' factor in and you have two left hands?
So, yesterday was my 6 month appointment for my teeth cleaning with my dentist. You know, we go twice a year to have our teeth cleaned and checked, once a year for x-rays and that is all your insurance covers. Well, they also cover if you have a filling and a few other things and that is it.
Yesterday, I was informed by my dentist as he was finishing up that 'they' (not quite sure who 'they' are but, I can guess...) recommend going to the dentist once a year instead of twice a year so my insurance as of January 1, 2010 will only cover 1 dentist visit/cleaning a year and x-rays once a year plus if you have a filling. Then he said, "However, I highly recommend you continue to come in every 6 months, you will have to unfortunately pay for your other appointment but, I urge you to continue coming twice a year." Of course I will go there still twice a year, I have learned over my 37 years of being alive that a cavity or any other mouth issue can come up pretty fast and you might be fine one dentist visit and the next you have a cavity.
So, I went up front to schedule my next appointment and found out it will cost me $143 out of my pocket for my next appointment. OK, not bad but, considering that my insurance premiums didn't go down and my coverage did, ouch. So instead of me paying $6 a year to visit my dentist (my co-pays are $3 each) I will now be paying $146 a year instead.
Now, if I couldn't afford to pay that extra $143 a year, I would have to choose the 'new and improved' guidelines and risk my mouth health. Now, of course, my insurance does cover cavities however, it does NOT cover root canals or any repair work needed or treatment for gum disease. So, only going once a year raises those risk and of course, those costs to me!
This is my 2nd experience running into the 'new health care' recommendations put forth lately. A few months ago I had my yearly physical and my doctor told me I needed a Mammogram. What? I am only 37 and no history of breast cancer or any cancer for that matter in my family. He said he is 'highly recommending' (there is that phrase again!) all women between the ages of 35-40 go in for a mammogram so, I did. It was crazy, they got me in immediately (well next day) and as I was getting my boobs squished, I asked the woman if this was because of health care reform. She quickly told me that most doctors were trying to get their female patients between 35-40 in as fast as possible, before the new guidelines took effect which said women don't need a mammogram until age 50.
Wow, so there, without me even looking I have already seen 2 changes to my regular health care and one was before the new bill even passed and the other well, I guess that one happened before the new bill passed too since it was implemented Jan 1st.
I wish I could talk more about this but, I need to go! Just wanted to give you all a little insight into what might be happening with our 'new and improved' health care.
Blessings to you!
-Liza
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